Space, Sport, Society. The practice of sport in the design of contemporary public space: La pratica sportiva nel progetto dello spazio pubblico contemporaneo

Abstract

In the current socio-cultural scenario, the practice of sport represents one of the main drivers of development, given the inclusive connotation it incorporates and the functional and spatial qualification potential that it expresses. Literature on this subject, and the many experiments in the field, serve to highlight how sports activities today are a central tool in the promotion of an “open city” ethic, namely one that is liveable and safe. Equally, in modern times, the city’s public infrastructure system represents an increasingly important factor for urban and social quality, requiring programmes and strategies capable of redefining places and their modes of use according to the themes of health and environmental quality. On the basis of these premises, this paper aims to analyse the recent evolution of the methods of planning and design of public space in relation to sports practices understood as a “comprehensive social reality”, as areas where urban and social regeneration policies based on the desire to promote health education actions, social inclusion and programmes for the physical qualification of the built environment are applied.